Above: Russian blogger "koffboy" tweets about the rally, calling it a "good joke". Chewbacca's an odd addition if you consider Star Wars lore, which is perhaps explained by this throwaway comment of one of koffboy's followers: "Chewie looks like he just got off a bender".

"After winning intra-party primaries by a landslide, comrade Vader will be our party's candidate," the UIP's leader, Dmitry Golubov, said on the party's website.

Golubov has spent time in prison in connection with a credit card hacking scam, although he claims it was a case of mistaken identity, according to the Washington Post.

The UIP's candidate also chucked in his two Galactic credit standards' worth on the site, declaring dramatically: "I alone can make an empire out of a republic, to restore former glory, to return lost territories and pride for this country."

The party has been around since 2007, but gained momentum in late 2009, when it conducted protests in favour of the abolition of a proposed "tax on the internet". Among other things, it proposes a single income tax of 25 per cent across the board, an abolition of VAT and land taxes, a complete "digitisation" of government and, er, free computer courses for all.

The Ukraine has been having something of a dark time since Pro-Russian leader Viktor Yanukovych was kicked out of office in February against the backdrop of unrest by pro-European factions.

Russia has since sent troops to the Ukraine's Crimea region, ostensibly to protect it from the unrest.

UIP members have been a very visible part of recent street protests ... dressed as storm troopers, natch. ®